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American Pharoah Colt Takes No Prisoners in San Felipe

MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm's Forbidden Kingdom (American Pharoah) ran off from his rivals at the start and never looked back, dominating Santa Anita's GII San Felipe S. Saturday while picking up 50 GI Kentucky Derby points. Last seen besting GISW and next-out Saudi Derby scorer Pinehurst (Twirling Candy) in the seven-furlong GII San Vicente S. here Jan. 29, the even-money faorite out-footed two foes into the first turn and zipped along through splits of :22.66 and :45.90 as Armagnac (Quality Road) gave chase a few lengths behind and very far in front of the rest of them. Forbidden Kingdom's advantage was approaching double digits rounding the home bend, and while for a stride or two there was at least a question of whether Doppelganger (Into Mischief) could possibly reel in his rival, Forbidden Kingdom rode the leader out with just hands and heels to cruise under the line 5 3/4 lengths to the good.

“I was anxious to see this race and see if he would get two turns. He looked even better,” Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella said. “I was a little nervous when I saw the :45 on the board for the first half. He just did what he likes to do. The next step is the [GI Runhappy] Santa Anita Derby next month.”

Hernandez said, “It worked out pretty well. Mr. Mandella had the horse ready. He's really fast. A couple of jumps after we broke, he was in front already. I let him run because if you fight with him he tries to go faster… I let him have fun. I turned him loose and he never stopped, he kept going the whole race. He proved how good he is today.”

A debut winner in fairly fast time at Del Mar last August, Forbidden Kingdom tried a turf dash when third in the local Speakeasy S. in October before returning to the main track to complete the exacta behind highly regarded Messier (Empire Maker) in Del Mar's GIII Bob Hope S. Nov. 14. He earned a strong 92 Beyer Speed Figure when taking the San Vicente off the bench.

“It's unbelievable,” said MyRacehorse founder and CEO Michael Behrens. “We were at the Derby and Breeders' Cup with Authentic [in 2020] and that was amazing. But to have this one and pick this horse as a baby. To go through the whole journey. To watch Mandella see him through his maturation and control his brilliant speed…And to do this today with all of these people, it's a touchdown.”

Saturday, Santa Anita
SAN FELIPE S.-GII, $401,000, Santa Anita, 3-5, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:43.98, ft.
1–FORBIDDEN KINGDOM, 120, c, 3, by American Pharoah
1st Dam: Just Louise (GSW), by Five Star Day
2nd Dam: Kings Lynn, by Mt. Livermore
3rd Dam: Til Forbid, by Temperence Hill
($300,000 Ylg '20 FTKSEL). O-MyRacehorse & Spendthrift Farm
LLC; B-Springhouse Farm (KY); T-Richard E. Mandella; J-Juan J.
Hernandez. $240,000. Lifetime Record: 5-3-1-1, $434,000.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Doppelganger, 120, c, 3, Into Mischief–Twice the Lady, by
Quiet American. 'TDN Rising Star' 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST
GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($570,000 Ylg '20 FTKSEL). O-SF Racing
LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Masterson, Robert
E., Schoenfarber, Jay A., Waves Edge Capital LLC, Donovan,
Catherine M., Golconda Stable, Siena Farm LLC; B-WinStar
Farm, LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $80,000.
3–Happy Jack, 120, c, 3, Oxbow–Tapitstry, by Tapit.
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($0 RNA Wlg '19
KEENOV). O/B-Calumet Farm (KY); T-Doug F. O'Neill. $48,000.
Margins: 5 3/4, 4 3/4, 5. Odds: 1.00, 1.70, 26.30.
Also Ran: Beautiful Art, Cabo Spirit, Armagnac, Worse Read Sanchez. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

Pedigree Notes:
Forbidden Kingdom is one of 13 graded/group winners for Triple Crown winner and Horse of the Year American Pharoah, who was represented later on the card by GI Beholder Mile heroine As Time Goes By. Five Star Day is the broodmare sire of five graded/group winners.

Dam Just Louise took the 2010 GIII Debutante S. before selling for $270,000 in 2012 and then to Gabriel Duignan for $150,000 while in foal to Malibu Moon at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton November sale. The half-sister to MGSW Sara Louise (Malibu Moon) has provided a solid ROI for Duignan under his Springhouse Farm banner and through his Paramount Sales consignment–an Orb colt fetched $300,000; a Malibu Moon filly cost $310,000; and, following Forbidden Kingdom, a Bolt d'Oro colt cost $275,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale. Just Louise produced a filly last year by the white hot Not This Time, and most recently visited Tiz the Law.

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Forbidden Kingdom Gets the Acid Test in San Felipe

Two for three in one-turn tests on the main track, MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm's Forbidden Kingdom (American Pharoah) tries a distance of ground as the narrow 8-5 morning-line favorite for Saturday's GII San Felipe S. at Santa Anita.

A $300,000 graduate of the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearling Showcase, the chestnut wired a field of Del Mar maidens on debut going 5 1/2 furlongs Aug. 21, but failed to transfer that form to the grass when third–albeit with some trouble–in the Oct. 1 Speakeasy S. at this venue. A pacesetting second behind 'TDN Rising Star' and future GIII Robert B. Lewis S. romper Messier (Empire Maker) in the GIII Bob Hope S. at the seaside oval in November, Forbidden Kingdom accounted for next-out G3 Saudi Derby hero Pinehurst (Twirling Candy) when last seen in the GII San Vicente S. Jan. 29.

Produced by a Grade III-winning juvenile, Forbidden Kingdom is out of a half-sister to Sara Louise (Five Star Day), twice a graded winner at a one-turn mile and whose daughter Sara Street (Street Sense)–also by a GI Kentucky Derby winner–stayed nine furlongs well enough to go close in the nine-furlong GII Gazelle S.

A 3 1/2-length debut winner in a six-furlong maiden at Los Alamitos Dec. 11, 'TDN Rising Star' Doppelganger (Into Mischief) was the 9-10 chalk for the San Vicente, but raced wide on the track and never landed a serious blow, finishing fourth. Acquired for $570,000 at the same sale as Forbidden Kingdom, the April foal is bred on the Into Mischief cross over Fappiano-line sires that has resulted in Grade I winners Mandaloun, Covfefe and other two-turn graded winners Private Mission, Largent and Maximus Mischief. Bob Baffert has saddled eight winners of the San Felipe, including Into Mischief sons Authentic and Life Is Good the last two years.

The commonly owned Armagnac (Quality Road), a $210,000 KEESEP purchase, holds the distinction of being the only member of this septet with a victory going two turns on the main track, having graduated by 2 1/4 front-running lengths over this track and distance Jan. 21. He was previously third to his stablemate Wharton (Candy Ride {Arg}) sprinting on New Year's Eve debut.

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Forbidden Kingdom One to Celebrate at Springhouse

Foaling season is already underway at Springhouse Farm, where breeder Gabriel “Spider” Duignan says they are expecting to see around 50 new foals on the ground this year.

On Saturday, Duignan enjoyed a brief respite from his work on the farm to celebrate a successful day on the racetrack.

Forbidden Kingdom, a son of American Pharoah bred by Springhouse Farm, stamped himself as one to watch on the Triple Crown trail after he upset a trio of Bob Baffert runners in the GII San Vicente S. at Santa Anita. Trained by Richard Mandella and campaigned by MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm, the chestnut colt broke his maiden at Del Mar last summer and placed in the Speakeasy S. and the GIII Bob Hope S. in the fall before his winning sophomore debut in the San Vicente, where he showed the way down the stretch to win by 2 1/4 lengths and earn a 94 Beyer Speed Figure.

Duignan purchased Forbidden Kingdom's dam, Just Louise (Five Star Day), at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton November Sale for $150,000. The mare had been a precocious 2-year-old in 2010, breaking her maiden on debut and then taking the GIII Debutante S., while her half-sister Sara Louise (Malibu Moon) was a three-time graded stakes winner.

“She was a beautiful-looking mare,” Duignan recalled. “She was barren, which made the price better. When we inquired about her, it sounded like she had no fertility problems; it was just something that commonly happens with young mares. She was a very fast 2-year and it was a great family, a very good-looking family.”

While her first foal fetched $300,000 as a weanling and won on debut, the mare's first three foals did not make any major headlines.

When Just Louise was next bred to Malibu Moon, the mare produced a promising filly in 2018, so Duignan decided to send her to American Pharoah.

“American Pharoah speaks for himself,” he said of his reasoning behind the mating. “He's a fantastic horse and I'm a big believer. I thought that the fact that there was so much speed in her family would suite him well. Physically, I thought they would match up.”

Forbidden Kingdom as a yearling at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Sale | Photos by Z

The resulting colt, Duignan said, was everything he had hoped for and more.

“Forbidden Kingdom was always a beautiful colt, beautiful-bodied and fast-looking. He was very straightforward with a lot of quality. He was one of those that never had a bad stage. He was just born nice and he stayed that way.”

Duignan thought the colt was impressive enough to send to the Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Sale, which was held in Lexington in 2020. Despite an uncertain market due to the pandemic, Forbidden Kingdom brought $300,000, selling to Spendthrift and MyRacehorse as one of the top three highest-priced American Pharoah yearlings of the sale.

Just Louise's Malibu Moon filly, who brought $310,000 as a yearling in 2019 and was named Sianara, broke her maiden at Churchill Downs last year and remains in training with Steve Asmussen. The mare also produced a Bolt d'Oro colt who brought $275,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale. She now has a Not This Time yearling filly in the pipeline who Duignan said is one to watch.

When the Not This Time filly was foaled in April, Just Louise was bred once to Tiz the Law, but did not catch. Duignan said mating plans are not yet set for her this year.

Forbidden Kingdom is not Duignan's first potential Kentucky Derby starter. He was represented by GI Blue Grass S. winner Brody's Cause (Giant's Causeway), who he bred in partnership with William Arvin, Jr. and Charlie O'Connor's Petaluma Bloodstock, in the 2016 GI Kentucky Derby.

“It's what you're trying to achieve as a breeder, so it's lovely when it happens,” Duignan said of the experience of having a potential Kentucky Derby starter. “It's really fun and hopefully he stays on the right track. You can never know which ones will be special, but he was definitely one that you could hope for because he was a beautiful horse.”

Duignan is also a founding partner in Paramount Sales. In addition to what was an exciting Saturday for Springhouse Farm, Paramount Sales enjoyed a big day with their sales graduate Life is Good (Into Mischief) in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. The gifted 4-year-old was part of Paramount's 2019 Keeneland September Sale consignment and sold to China Horse Club and Maverick Racing for $525,000.

Asked if he remembers the impressive colt from the Keeneland grounds, Duignan responded quickly. “I sure do. He was a beautiful Into Mischief with maybe a little bit more leg than some of them. He was very popular at the sales and brought a good amount of money.”

How does Life is Good compare with the rest of the long list of top-performing Paramount sales graduates?

“He ranks well no matter what company you put him in,” Duignan said, chuckling. “He's a monster.”

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Pharoah Colt Forbidden Kingdom Denies Baffert Trio In San Vicente; San Felipe Next

In a thoroughly dominant performance, trainer Richard Mandella's Forbidden Kingdom blasted off from the gate and never looked back en route to a 2 ¼ length victory in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita. Ridden by Juan Hernandez, the chestnut son of American Pharoah got seven furlongs in 1:22.75 and stamped himself a candidate for the Grade 1, $750,000 Santa Anita Derby on April 9.

Fresh off a troubled second place finish going seven furlongs in the G3 Bob Hope Stakes Nov. 14 at Del Mar, Forbidden Kingdom made no mistakes today from his rail post position as he carved out sizzling splits of 21.86, 44.49 and 1:09.31.

“He's as quick as they come,” said Mandella, who indicated he would stretch Forbidden Kingdom out to a mile and one sixteenth in the Grade 2, $400,000 San Felipe Stakes here on March 5. “In his last race, he tore a piece of his foot off (after stumbling at the start) and then we had a quarter crack. We had to fix it up and it is good and we hope it stays good.

“We'll have to try two turns down the road here. He's gotten better about everything. He was so professional today, everything went well. He used to get a little antsy in the gate. He's stumbled a few times.”

With odds-on favorite Doppelganger running a disappointing fourth, Forbidden Kingdom was never at any point challenged. Off at 7-2, he paid $9.80, $4.00 and $4.40.

“He has a lot of speed and sometimes he just runs off, but today he was a little different horse,” said Hernandez, who has ridden Forbidden Kingdom in all four of his starts. “It looked like he settled down a little bit more, so that helped a lot…He was really happy and comfortable there, so I just let him run.

“I felt at the quarter pole the other horses were coming from behind, so I just tapped him on the shoulder and I felt how he responded back, he never stopped.”

Owned by MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm, LLC, Forbidden Kingdom, who is out of the Five Star Day mare Just Louise, picked up $120,000 for the win, increasing his earnings to $194,000 while notching his second win.

Bob Baffert stablemates Pinehurst and McLaren Vale ran two-three, separated by neck. Pinehurst, who sat second the entire trip, was off at 9-5 and paid $3.00 and $3.60 with Mike Smith up.

Ridden by Abel Cedillo, McLaren Vale, who sat third throughout, finished a neck clear of stablemate Doppelganger and paid $4.80 to show while off at 8-1.

Ridden by Flavien Prat, Doppelganger, an impressive first-out maiden winner going six furlongs at Los Alamitos Dec. 11, never threatened for the win but hit his best stride late while finishing 20 lengths clear of longshot What in Blazes.

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